Highway traffic directing device



v Oct.'22, 1935.

C. HENDERSON HIGHWAY TRAFFIC DIRECTING DEVICE Filed Jan Patented Oct.22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HIGHWAY TRAFFIC DIRECTING DEVICEApplication January 23, 1931, Serial No. 510,597

8 Claims.

My invention relates particularly to devices for indicating in streetsand highways means for controlling the movement of traffic for bothvehicles and pedestrians and for indicating various conditions to beobserved, such as places to stop, parking spaces and ydirection ofmovement of travel.

Various appliances for this purpose have been devised with more or lesssatisfactory results. It

10 has been observed, however, that undesirable conditions arise fromthe use of devices that have been employed, such as injury to vehicletires and the danger to pedestrians who may slip on the smoothed, wornsurfaces of these devices, most particularly under wet or snowy weatherconditions, all of which tends to personal injury and possiblelitigation and loss in suits for damages.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide traffic directionindicating devices, commonly known as traffic lane markers, that willnot only be eiiicient in operation and economical to manufacture, butwhich will endure the severe trafc conditions incident to the poundingthereon and the skidding and sliding of vehicle tires thereover, andwhich will also lend themselves to the prevention of slipping ofpedestrains feet thereon.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a tra'ic directionindicating device composed of a 3o resilient material and having a headarranged to overlie the surface of the street or highway and having astem formed in unitary relation with said head and arranged to projectinto suitably provided cavities formed in the street or highway.

My invention further includes a retaining device comprising a sleeveengage-d in the street cavity and having means with which the stem ofthe resilient traffic direction indicating device may be engaged andprevented from accidental 40 displacement.

Another object of my invention is to provide a traffic directionindicating device that may be readily removed and replaced when worn,and in which the head and stern may be formed of compositions ofrelatively different consistency so merged as to f-orm a unitarystructure.

My invention comprehends a traiiic direction indicating device formed ofsuch a resilient cornposition and having a head and stem so 'constructedand arranged that the pressure on said head by the action of the vehicletraveling thereover tends to so expand the stem within the cavity in thestreet as to tend to tighten the stem in said cavity at the moment whenpressure is brought to bear upon the head which might otherwise tend todisplace said trafc direction indicating device from its position insaid street or highway.

My invention also includes all of the various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement 5 as hereinafter more definitely specied.

Specifically stated, the form of my invention as hereinafter describedcomprises a mushroomshaped tralc indicating device in which the head andstern are formed in unitary relation of a rel0 silient composition suchas rubber, in combination with a flanged split tubular metal retainingdevice forming a sleeve which may be secured in a suitably preparedcavity in the street or highway, into which the stem of the indicatingdevice may be in- 15 serted and retained by projectionsv extendinginwardly from the walls of said tubular retainer, and means whereby saidretainer may be permanently secured into the said cavity in the streetor highway. 20

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a highwaytraffic directing device constructed in accordance with my invention;Fig.,2 is a central vertical sectional view of the highway traflicdirecting device shown in Fig. 25 l; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of thesplit tubular retainer for said highway traiiic directing device; Fig. 4is a perspective View of a slug which may be employed to secure saidretainer in a suitably provided aperture in the highway; Fig. 5 is a 30transverse vertical sectional view taken centrally through the highwaytraffic directing device and its retainer in position in the highway;Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the highway similar toFig. 5 but showing the highway traiiic 35 directing device and itsretainer in elevation for convenience of illustration; and Fig. 7 is aplan view of the retainer shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 6, the section line5-5 thereon indicating the plane of section of the retaining sleeveshown in Fig. 5. 40

In said figures, the highway traiiic directing device may preferably bein the form of a mushroom and its body formed of a resilient oryieldable, tough material, suchas a rubbercomposition, having the head Iand the stem 2 depend- 45 ing from the cupped under surface 3 of saidhead, the upper surface 4 of the head l being convexed and merging atthe periphery with the beveled edge 5.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the body of the high- 50 way traiic directingdevice may be provided with stabilizing or reinforcing means, preferablysheet fabric 6, which may be molded in the resilient material formingthe body in any desirable manner.

While the head I and stem 2 of the highway traflic directing device areformed' in unitary relation, they may ordinarily be formed of acomposition of the same consistency throughout. In some instances,however, it may be found advisable to form said head and stem ofVrelatively diiferent resiliency so that while the head has the maximumdesired resiliency throughout, so that its under surface tends to bettercontact and engage the surface of the highway, the stem, which isarranged to form the attachment to the paving of the highway, may havecharacteristics which will best adapt it to be employed in connectionwith a retainer, and consequently be of a more Vcondensed consistencyor' stiffer than the head from which it depends.

As shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 6, the retainer into which the stem 2 of thehighway trac directing device may be forced and by which it is held inposition in the highway, comprises a split tubularv structure forming asleeve 'I having the longitudinal split 9 and'having its upper end aredoutwardly to afford the ange I0, of any desired radial extent, which isprovided with apertures II and aplurality of slits I2 extendinglongitudinally downward through the wall of said sleeve 'I to formtongues I5, of which there are three shown in the illustration in Fig.3. These tongues I5 may be slightly bent outwardlyY to afford a tight tin the aperture I6, which may be provided for the sleeve 'I in thehighway structure I'I formed of concrete, macadam, wood, or any of thenumerous materials of which highways are usually constructed.

The sleeve 'I may be provided, preferably interposed between the tonguesI5, with inwardly struck projections preferably inclined downward toafford prongs I9 which extend into and distort the stem 2f, as brestshown in Fig. 5, so as to prevent the accidental displacement of thestem from the sleeve and incidentally to so hold the stem when forcedinto said sleevefI that the cupped under surface 3 of the head I willlie flat upon the upper surface of the highway.

This retainer sleeve 1 may be of such a spring nature as to beself-sustaining in the aperture I6, which is provided to receive it inthe highway structure I'I. However, where traffic may be usually heavy,I have deemed it advisable to provide means arranged to hold the sleevein rigid engagement with the walls of `said. aperture I6, and,therefore, I have provided the slug 20, which may be formed of lead, orother suitable material, and which may be provided with the longitudinalgrooves V2| so as to permit it to pass the projections I9 when droppedthrough the sleeve to the bottom of the aperture I6, as shown in Fig. 5.After having been placed in this position, said `slug 20 may be engagedby a suitable tool and by a hammer blow on said tool the Yslug will beforced into the several apertures II in the wall of the sleeve near itsbottom, as shown in Fig. 5, and also it may be forced into the slit 9 tomaintain the sleeve spread against the side walls of the aperture I6 andthereby rigidly hold it in place in said aperture in the highway.

vAlthough I have described the slug 20 as being thus expanded by ahammer blow, it is obvious that it could be melted by a torch afterhaving been placed in the bottom of the sleeve. Similarly, the slug 20may be formed of other material such as a pitch product and thus meltedby the-torch, or melted lead or pitch may be ladled into said sleeve. lY

Furthermore, it may be found desirable in some instances to dispensewith the retainer herein shown and described, and to cement or otherwiseattach the stem directly to the walls of the cavity in the highway, orto employ other retaining means. 5

It will be obvious that having once established the .sleeve in place inthe highway, it will be maintained as a permanentV fixture with which atrafc directing device comprising the head VI and stem 2 may bereplaceably engaged when they 10 become worn or destroyed. Thus the costof replacement will be incident to the cost of the mushroom-shaped bodycomprising the head I and stem 2.

My invention is advantageous in that the re- 15 placementY will be easyand inexpensive. Furthermore, by providing a resilient body as thusdescribed, the hammer blows incident to the wheels of vehicles passingover the head tend to so expand the body of the device as to cause 20the stem to bear hard against the walls of the retainer sleeve 'I andthereby add to the frictionalcontact between said stem and the sleeve atthe moment whenv the most tenacious hold, tending to prevent separationof these parts, is re- 2'5 quired'.

Although I have shown and described a traffic directing device in theform of a mushroom, it will be obvious that the headI of this device maybe of any desired contour or may be elongated and provided with twoormore stems for engagement with suitably spaced apertures in the highway,and, therefore, I do not desire to limit my invention to the precisedetails of construction and arrangement as herein set forth, as other354 modifications may be made therein without departing from theessential features of my invention as defined in ther appended claims.V

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a highway traffic di- 4.0i

recting device comprising a body of yieldable material having a unitaryhead and stem, of a retainer into which said stem may be tted, and Ycomprising a sleeve arranged to be entered into a suitably providedaperture in the highway and u provided with means arranged to engagesaid stem to prevent its accidental displacement therefrom, and areadily distortable slug distinct from said sleeve arranged to beexpanded in said sleeve to force it into frictional contact with thewalls of said aperture. Y

2. The combination with a highway traffic directing device comprising abody of yieldable material having a unitary head and stem, of a retainerinto which said stem may be fitted, and '7- ture and thereby preventdisplacement of said sleeve, and inserting into said sleeve the stern ofa body having a head arranged to overlie the surface of said highway andbe retained by said projections.

4. The method of attaching highway traffic l directing devices to thehighway, which consists in forming an aperture in the highway, insertinga split sleeve therein having internal projections and apertures in itswalls, and provided with a iiange, introducing a retaining means intosaid sleeve to prevent it from being accidentally displaced, expandingsaid retaining means by a hammer blow, and thereby distorting it, andinserting into said sleeve the stem of a body having a head arranged tooverlie the surface of said highway and be retained by said projections.

5. The combination with a highway traffic directing device comprising abody of yieldable material having a unitary head and stem, of a retainerinto which said stem may be fitted, and comprising a iianged sleevearranged to be inserted into an aperture in a highway and having a1-ternately disposed tongues and prongs respectively arranged to bearagainst the walls of said aperture and to engage and retain the stem ofsaid device when it is disposed in said sleeve.

6. In combination, a highway trafl'ic directing device comprising acylindrical sleeve provided with an outwardly iiared slitted iiangeaiording regions that may be bent outwardly to rictionally engage thewall of an aperture in the highway into which said sleeve may beinserted, and having a plurality of inwardly projecting prongs, and abody of yieldable material having a unitary head and stem of relativelydiierent resiliency, said stem being entered into said sleeve andprevented from longitudinal displacement by said prongs and fromrelative rotation by the slits in said sleeve.

7. The combination with a highway traffic directing device comprising abody of yieldable material having unitary head and stem, of a retainerinto which said stern may be fitted, and comprising a flanged sleevehaving relatively movable tongues cooperative with its body to form itsfree edge arranged to be entered into a highway and provided withstem-engaging means to prevent the accidental displacement of said sterntherefrom, said sleeve being also provided with apertures in its wall,and means introduced into said sleeve and retained therein to securesaid sleeve in said aperture.

8. The combination with a rubber traii'ic lane marker having a head andan integral stem, of a tubular anchor adapted to be secured in apavement, the stern of the marker and the tube being of such relativediameters that considerable pressure is necessary to force the stem intothe anchor, and projections in the tube adapted to compress the stem asit is driven in, the stem adapted to extend into the tube beyond theprojections and expand beneath same as and for the purpose specied.

CHARLES HENDERSON.

